Interview With Austin Sparks: How Bolt Keeps Their Team On Track

Trade contractors need technology tailored to meet their needs—a solution to manage projects, communicate with builders, and grow their business. We spoke with a customer who did that with Bolt, Austin Sparks, operations manager of Ron Sparks Incorporated. This multi-generational business, which has been working with builders all over the Gulf Coast for over 40 years, provides concrete and framing services.

ECI: Why did your company choose Bolt?

Austin Sparks (AS): We chose Bolt in 2017 because we needed software to keep track of all our inventory. Since we can work on up to 4000 homes a year, we needed a robust solution that would help us store job information—such as purchase orders, work orders, and photos—in one system. Bolt lets us track and record all the work we’ve done for each house for each builder.

ECI: What challenges were you experiencing before choosing Bolt?

AS: One of the issues we faced was office-to-field communication. Before Bolt, we would have to depend solely on the field managers to give us that information accurately. Now, those working in the office can check the job progress in the field using the photos stored in Bolt. We see if the work has started and how far it has progressed so we know when we can pay our subcontractors.

Job information was scattered across spreadsheets, documents, and various builder portals. Now, with Bolt, all that information is in one system, eliminating the chaos and letting us quickly access details about the job.

ECI: What benefits have you seen from using Bolt?

AS: Bolt has simplified our team’s workflow. Instead of searching for the login to a builder's portal and then trying to navigate their system to find a plan or job information, we can just log into Bolt, search for the plan in seconds, take a screenshot, mark it up, and send it to the builder or subcontractors. This has been a big help when communicating with crews about what work needs to be done. Using Bolt, we can have proof showing what we did.

Bolt has also been very helpful with the back-and-forth between the builder and us, particularly when it comes to mark-up on the plans. We can highlight a specific part of the job or an area of concern that the builder needs to review and ask them to look at it. We know if they have. Since you can email through Bolt, it allows us to double-check to see if someone has opened the email or not. It helps keep everyone honest!

Before Bolt, we used to get emails from builders, write down the jobs, and then reach out to the crews to see if they could handle it. It was a much longer process.

With Bolt, scheduling is much easier. You create a rule based on the type of work so that once you schedule the first task in the job, Bolt will automatically load the future tasks required and when they need to be completed. Bolt fills out the schedule for you.

The reminders automatically created in the schedule mean they can see what work is coming up in the future so they can plan accordingly, making sure there is coverage to complete the job. This helps them run their schedule, letting them handle their jobs using their management style with their field managers and builders. It makes it easier for me, too—I can just oversee jobs without having to micromanage.

ECI: What’s your favorite Bolt feature?

AS: My favorite feature, and probably the one I utilize the most, is photos. They allow me to go back and prove that the team has done the work. If a builder raises an issue, we just look at the pictures, and it shows that the job was done correctly.

And it has helped with warranties. The job is documented, so everything is in the system. It’s been a big help in resolving any disputes.

ECI: How important is the role of technology in the industry?

AS: Technology has had a significant impact on our industry. I think software companies are realizing that contractors and construction guys need technology, too, but we need it to fit our business.

While it's nice to have systems that work on computers in the office, I think using software on a tablet in the field is essential for our industry. And I believe that technology is getting better.

ECI: Why would you recommend Bolt to other contractors?

AS: I recommend Bolt to contractors for a couple of reasons. The first is that the return is well worth the investment. It's not based on how much work you do, which for some companies would be unaffordable.

I would also recommend Bolt because it's very user-friendly. Those working on the job and those in the office feel it's easy to navigate. With other software on the market, the user interface is just too much, and you can see that it won’t be easy for many people. Simplicity is always better.